Respiratory patient care is a dynamically developing field in medicine, ranging in its needs from infants to the aged. The range of respiratory ailments, both temporary and permanent, to which such patients are subjected, are many and varied. For example, the range of procedures for intubated patients may include the following: ventilation, aspiration, oxygenation, sampling, visual inspection, in-line sensing, pressure monitoring, flushing, medicating and/or lavage. Most problems now center or focus on multiple needs of the patient and accommodation of multiple treatments, some to be performed at the same time. The lack of equipment to easily, efficiently, and safely accomplish the multiple therapies in the best interest of the patient has been and continues to be a concern.
When patients receive multiple respiratory therapies or treatments while intubated, problems may occur with the respiratory access manifold, among others. There is a need to provide a common manifold through which all necessary devices are coupled in order to reduce infection. Such a common respiratory access manifold desirably has multiple ports, and a majority of the ports desirably allow some degree of movement to reduce the forces acting on the tracheal tube. Such a manifold desirably permits quick and easy coupling and removal of a variety of devices without compromising the quality of health care provided to the patient. Such a device desirably operates well in a closed circuit ventilating system.
One problem that has been found with multiple device manifolds is that certain devices such as long, thin suction catheters, may become caught on the inner portion of the body of the manifold and/or against the proximal end of a tracheal tube and may bunch up or become stuck. A manifold that avoids the problem of catheter catching and bunching is desirable.